30 May 2011 - First A380 for Korean Air

The rush to buy duty-free items before boarding is now over for some lucky passengers.

Korean Airlines took delivery of its first A-380 Airbus, which has been fitted with an enviable, built-in duty free shop for premium passengers.

The first of 10 super jumbos on order was delivered by the French aeronautical manufacturer in Seoul this week.

With 407 seats, including 12 first-class suites, 94 business-class seats and 301 in economy, the Korean national carrier also boasts the lowest number of seats.
Most airlines configure the A380 with over 500 and with an all-economy layout almost 800 could fit.

The world’s sixth largest carrier is scheduled to receive nine additional A380s over the next three years. And in a bid to rival Singapore Airlines, Korean will actively woo business travellers into the jaws of the plane’s entire upper deck.

The aircraft is Airbus’s eighth A380 delivered this year out of a proposed assembly line of 24 in 2011. There are now a total of 49 A380s flying the global skies.

25 May 2011 - New Super Wheel for Vegas

They don't do things by halves in Las Vegas and the latest addition to America's entertainment capital is no exception.

Plans were revealed today for a 500-foot (152.4 metre) 'Super Wheel' to be built on the city's famous Strip that would be higher than the London Eye and give visitors an unparalleled view of Sin City.

The Skyvue Las Vegas Super Wheel will open in 2013 as part of a $100 million privately funded project that also includes a roller coaster and 200,000 square feet of retail, restaurant and entertainment space.

Developer Howard Bulloch of Compass Investments released details of his project today to reporters, local lawmakers and business leaders at the site across Las Vegas Boulevard from the Mandalay Bay hotel-casino.

A rendering of the Ferris-style wheel shows its rotation perpendicular to the Strip. That means views from the 40 gondolas wouldn't be obstructed by other passenger cars.

Bulloch said in a statement: 'Skyvue Las Vegas will complement both the hospitality and entertainment industries. This world-class attraction fills a niche in our economic recovery, creating jobs and offering a new and unique entertainment offering for the tourist base.'

Workers began clearing the nearly 11-acre site today, officials said. The project will require demolition of a motel that was built in the 1950s.

The 40 gondolas will each hold up to 25 passengers, and developers say they will be available to be rented out for private parties with catering and drinks.

The main bearings for the wheel, on display today, are being provided by the same German manufacturer that supplied the bearings for the London Eye.

In announcing the project, its developers cited the success of the London Eye as a reason the similar project might be successful in Sin City. The wheel in London attracts 3.5 million visitors per year, they said.

Casino company Caesars Entertainment Corp. also plans a tall viewing wheel as part of its Linq project behind several of its Las Vegas Strip casinos.

When it is erected in 18 months, the wheel will provide a change to the Las Vegas skyline.

Each ride will last for 30 minutes to go around once and will provide unparalleled views of Las Vegas.

Each gondola will be the size of a family room and you will be able to eat dinner in an air conditioned glass encased booth.

24 May 2011 - Jetstar to Introduce Pay to Check In

Posted by: Alan

Jetstar has just announced the rollout of "100 per cent passenger self service at check-in," with the launch of its long-promised SMS boarding pass technology.

Every Jetstar domestic port at Australia and New Zealand now offers web check-in, self-service kiosks and the new SMS boarding pass systems, which work with any mobile phone - rather than just smartphones as with technology offered by other carriers.

Customers with bags can scan the SMS boarding pass on their phone at a self-service kiosk in the check-in area, where they will collect a boarding pass, bag tags and drop their luggage at the bag drop.

However "customers still wanting to use traditional check-in counters will be charged a small fee to cover the costs associated with providing the service," the carrier announced today. The amount of the fee was not specified, and itwon't be introduced until 01 Nov 2011 "to give customers time to get familiar with our new self service options".

Jetstar has also launched a new Automatic Check-in system which allows customers to pre-enrol for check-in and receive either an SMS boarding pass or boarding pass via email 24 hours before a flight.

"Removing the check-in process altogether is another example of a Jetstar innovation improving the air travel experience for its customers," according to group ceo Bruce Buchanan.

He said the investment in the cutting-edge self service technology would transform the airport experience, help Jetstar maintain a high level of on-time performance and "achieve ongoing efficiencies in the use of expensive airport infrastructure to keep fares low".

20 May 2011 - Last UK Train Restaurant

An overnight train leaves London’s Kings Cross station at 7.30pm tonight on a milestone journey to the Midlands city of Leeds.

It will be the last train in Britain to feature full restaurant dining.

For more than a century, the words ‘Last call for the dining car’ have rung out for lunch and dinner on trains throughout the country.

When private franchise operators took over the British Rail system 17 years ago, there were 249 restaurant carriages on various routes.

For profit reasons, they’ve been replaced by airline-style servings for first-class passengers in their seats.

The same is about to happen on the London-Leeds route.

Standard-class travellers will get microwaved burgers from the buffet car.

Passengers on tonight’s train will sit down to a valedictory meal of smoked haddock, rib-eye steak, leg of lamb or fillets of trout, followed by blue cheese, apple and walnut strudel and ginger and rhubarb pavlova.

19 May 2011 - Social Media Madness

Posted by: Alan

Social media is everywhere - even in the maternity ward.

A couple in Israel have attracted worldwide attention this week after they named their newborn baby after the Facebook ‘Like’ button - a sister to similarly unusually named siblings Dvash (Hebrew for ‘Honey’) and Pie (as in Apple Pie).

Like Adler’s mum says the infant is already very popular, with the six-day old having more than 1600 friends on her personal Facebook page.

06 May 2011 - APT Single Traveller Specials

APT will not charge single travellers a supplement on its 15 day Magnificent Europe river cruise between Amsterdam and Budapest, for bookings by 31 May on the 22 Nov and 06 Dec sailings.

APT is also offering solo deals in its Indochina packages, with a 40% discount on the 19 day Indochina and the Mekong, and half price single supplements on its holidays in Australia and NZ - also for bookings by 31 May.

Varsity Lakes Travel holds an unrestricted Travel Agents Licence,
is a full member of ATAS, Australia's consumer travel protection authority,
and is a full service travel agency associated with the helloworld travel Group.